Suitors and Waltzes
by saccharine.panda
Summary: Her steps were faltering. A hand curled around her waist, steadying her, but his emerald gaze just made her tremble further. Waltzing was more complicated than she expected, it seemed. Royal AU. England x Liechtenstein.


Suitors and Waltzes .: Part 1 :. (EngLiech)

Summary:

 _Her steps were faltering. A hand curled around her waist, steadying her, but his emerald gaze just made her tremble further. Waltzing was more complicated than she expected, it seemed.  
Royal AU. England x Liechtenstein. _

* * *

**I**

It was like any morning. Clouds were just beginning to dust the sky, as the sun blushed and peeked shyly from behind the distant hills, slowly rearing its head and spilling light into Erika's room. However, the rays did not have to tickle her eyelids to wake her from her slumber. Rather, the girl was already awake to speculate the still-sleepy day unravel seamlessly and bleed into every corner of the kingdom below her. The crisp breeze seeped through her open window and stirred the curtains on either side of her, and -despite its bite- she was thankful for it, as it managed to rid her of any lingering tiredness. With the draft came the faint scent of dew, and grass; which she assumed meant Francis had been out mowing the lawn the day prior. She smiled faintly. If she concentrated, she could almost hear the distant thrumming of the machine in the front grounds; a sound she associated with the annual birth of spring and the arrival of the long-awaited sunshine, although now it was mid-July.

She shifted to her knees, her body leaning against the sill as she then focused on the night's tears still clinging to the window frame. Her eyes followed them as they grew weak and finally surrendered to trickle down and form watery branches on the pane. She absently traced the path of one rain drop as it meandered down the window, before it shrank away to nothing upon reaching its finish line, marked by the bottom edge of the window frame.

The bawl of a cockerel pierced the peace; a sound that by now she knew originated from the farm that lay a few minutes from her palace home. A quaint smile quirked the corner of her lips, before she leaned back into a lounging position on her window seat. Her nightgown was tucked around her legs and feet to protect them from the breeze of the newborn summer morning, although her arms were left unsheltered, leaving goosebumps to prickle up her exposed skin.

Yes, it was just like any morning.

Erika's thoughts strayed to the upcoming day, the meddling fingers of anxiety suddenly poking her and reminding her of the ball that was to be held that night in her name; a celebration of her eighteenth birthday, which had occurred mere days before. Upon her own insistence was the ball postponed until after her birthday itself. She preferred to spend time in the more humble company of her family and close friends than the presence of important dukes and empresses whose names she had long forgotten. The four of them had spent the night in Erika's favourite place- their 'holiday' home in Liechtenstein- before they had to return to their palace in Austria. Her father had been slightly disgruntled at the prospect of travelling to another country for a sole night, but a mere day later he seemed to smile to the idea. Erika could only assume she owed the turn around to her mother, who could be rather 'convincing' when she needed to be.

The Queen was a sweet woman, really. The majority of the time, at least.

"Your Majesty..." The rapping of knuckles against her bedroom door tugged Erika from her daydreaming. Her eyes quickly shifted to the noise and she rose to her feet, brushing off her night gown.

"Come in," she called gently, an habitual hand sliding through her hair in a futile attempt to tame it as the shy figure of a maid appeared in the doorway.

"Good morning, milady." The woman's body stooped into a bow, before she shuffled into the room. "The King has instructed me to make sure you're ready for tonight...He said potential suitors for you would be in attendance." She studied Erika's face, which had winced into a grimace of shock at the words.

"S-Suitors...?" The princess lowered her head, her eyes blooming in shock. She, of course, knew of her duty to marry to the advantage of her family; however it had not occurred to her that her father wished to wed her in such early days of her eighteenth year. She had thought it was supposed to be a celebration of her birthday? "...I-I see..." She tried to clip the tremble in her voice and force a smile, her gaze shifting back over to the maid, whose eyebrows had creased in sympathy.

"His Highness said you liked to go for walks in the morning, so he instructed me to accompany you," the maid further elaborated, hoping it would somewhat ease Erika's clear discomfort.

"Ah, thank you, but...I believe I can go for a walk on my own." She attempted to brush the servant off politely. Her thoughts were muddled, her stomach clenching and twisting until she felt almost ill. She thought she'd rather be by herself, so she could piece together her puzzled thoughts.

The lady's brow wavered. "But, Your Majesty, the King said-"

"Please, miss," Erika's gaze turned pleading, "I will explain to my father that I insisted I go alone if he questions it."

"...Yes, ma'am...I will return with your breakfast at 8am..."

"Thank you," Erika nodded, guiltily noticing the defeated slump of the maid's shoulders as she ducked out of the room, a firm click asserting that the door was closed once more. She felt the backs of her knees hit the edge of her bed, and she allowed her body to slump back into the sheets, offering a blank stare to the ceiling.

A suitor?

_

"You were supposed to accompany her!"

"Ah- Your Majesty, please, I-"

"I don't want to hear excuses! Do you not grasp the concept of following orders?"

"Roderich," the man was quickly pivoted around by the sudden tug on his wrist, and he now faced his wife. Elizabeta's eyebrows were deeply furrowed. "You know Erika wouldn't do something silly. She's not like that."

"We can't just assume," he snapped. "She didn't know before now, maybe-"

"Roderich," Elizabeta soothed again, and the Austrian's voice fumbled until it eventually died out into a sigh.

" _Ja_. I know she's not. I suppose I just don't want her to be alone at the moment. I remember it being hard to take in."

"Here's an idea: perhaps you wouldn't have to worry if you weren't forcing her into marriage with a stranger in the first place, Father. If you didn't like being set up, why do it to Lilli?" Vash's icy tone bit at the air, his green eyes frozen over with resentment as he shot his parents a challenging stare from where he was leaning on the doorframe. Elizabeta winced, before a soft sigh left her lips and she took a gentle step towards him.

"Vash, dear...You must understand...We have to make an alliance with-"

"I don't want to hear excuses," he mimicked in a hiss, abruptly turning his back and retreating back to his room. The King and Queen both shared a look, and silence reigned for a few seconds, before the Austrian cleared his throat.

"...You may leave," Roderich dismissed the maid briskly, yet his voice was quieter than it had been. She quickly obliged, bowing before she also took her leave. The man sighed lowly, sweeping his hair out of his face as his gaze shifted to his wife. The Hungarian woman cupped his face, running a thumb over his cheek.

"We'll meet his parents tonight. We can talk to them about the arrangements, _igen_? We'll work something out." Her husband nodded as he leaned into her touch.

" _Szeretlek_ ," she mumbled, as his hand came up to rest upon her own. Roderich could only offer a faint smile.

-

Erika brushed her fingers through her hair, as she fidgeted with the purple ribbon knotted into her hair; which had been gifted to her by her elder brother. Her eyes roamed the various plants surrounding and she spotted a few edelweiss flowers blooming as she strolled through the extensive palace gardens. A little smile came to her lips, before it faded.

"Lilli, _ma fleur_!"

Upon hearing her nickname, her head tilted towards the call, and she was greeted with the sight of Francis amongst the rose bushes. A genuine smile flittered onto her lips and she immediately headed over to the gardener, who she could gladly also call a friend.

" _Salut, cherie_ ," he straightened up as she approached, before he ducked back into a graceful bow.

" _Hallo_ , Fran," she beamed softly as she returned her own curtesy, admiring the delicate flowers he was planting. "The garden looks lovely this year."

"Ah, _merci_. But you are the most beautiful flower in _ce jardin, oui_?" A little smile prodded the corner of his lips as he gracefully stretched a bit. Erika's lips turned a bit pink but she returned his smile, albeit shyly.

" _Das ist ganz lieb von dir_ ," she said softly, earning a chuckle from the Frenchman.

" _Bon, c'est vrai_ ," he hummed, reaching over to ruffle her hair with his de-gloved hand.

"How was your date with- Marie, wasn't it?" she began in light conversation. Francis heaved an overly dramatic sigh, blurted out a few words of incoherent French, and then gushed about how her "eyes sparkled under the gentle caress of the moonlight", and the fact that "no music could ever compare to the melody of her voice", which elicted a few giggles from Erika, before they ceased. She wondered if anyone would ever think of her like that, or if she would ever feel that way about someone.

Francis, who had pouted at her little stream of laughter, frowned when her smile bled from her lips so quickly. He tilted her chin up gently with his finger.

"Ça va, Lilli? Has something happened?" he promoted gently. Her lips quivered a bit in reply, but she bit down on them harshly.

"I...My parents are going to find me a suitor, soon..." she whispered, her voice creaking with pain and nervousness.

"...Oh..." the Frenchman was unable to help the surprise that laced through his tone as his eyebrows flicked upwards. "Well...I'm sure that your Mama and Papa will find you a good husband, oui? I'm sure they have good taste. After all, they did hand pick me to be their gardener," he jested, but fell silent at the strained smile that tainted Erika's lips.

"Erika Lilli..." His arm carefully curled around her shoulders and tugged her body close to his. He gently held the trembling girl in his arms, smiling sadly at the shaky grip she had trapped his shirt in. His fingers gently combed through her long hair, brushing any unruly strands out of her face. "Your parents love you very much you know. No matter their other intentions, they will always want what's best for you."

Erika merely managed a jolt of a nod as her face took refuge in his chest. Her life's previously clear skies seemed to mist up with clouds of duty, and, as raindrops began to patted upon her heart, she doubted it would brighten up again any time soon.


End file.
